Message Board - Cricket: urf
25 Aug 2011 by andy dixon
Hi All. I have just taken a good long break where I decided to take a complete rest and am just back to say hello.
Sorry I wasn't available to answer any comments on my leaving Dean Park etc, but I'm afraid i won't be able to comment on that subject any more. Hope you understand.
Although I am not currently employed in this line of work, I hope to be of assistance in any way possible to all you guys (especiallly Kaloam fellas) through this difficult period.
Noted the 'Find me a job' comments but have now settled back in Bournemouth with no intention of moving. Thanks anyway.
Andy.
26 Aug 2011 by Mike
Andy - good to have your presence, knowledge and support back amongst us, and wish you every success in the future.
Mike
26 Aug 2011 by A J
Good on you Andy, welcome back and hope you continue to aid your goals in this industry.
All the best for the future
Andy.
Grow in grace...........
26 Aug 2011
This message has been removed by a moderator, because it broke our Terms & Conditions.
Reason: The message is a duplicate
26 Aug 2011 by Willard
Good on ya mate...
Always Looking For New Ideas
26 Aug 2011 by Vic Demain
Andy, I hope you are well and have come through it okay. I think you were dealt a particularly bad hand by your previous employers and not at all helped by the users of the ground or the glossy magazines, who I feel aided your downfall.
Good luck in the future, you may end up as the lucky one to have escaped a troubled industry.
Vic.
26 Aug 2011 by A J
PC
I think you will find it was double duplicated, and not because i broke any rules of terms of conditions.
I Don't appreciate my good name blackened,
Cheers
Andy.
Grow in grace...........
26 Aug 2011 by wicketdevil
I got that as well andy for the same reason does seem a bit heavy handed and stays on here for ever . Ian
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
26 Aug 2011 by A J Last edited 26 Aug 2011
Lets see what happens Ian.
Don`t think you & myself have ever broken any rules??
I`m not impressed though, and your right it does stay on here for everrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!
Andy. 
Grow in grace...........
26 Aug 2011 by wicketdevil
Andy , you heading to saltex this year. Ian
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
26 Aug 2011 by Pitchcare Peter
Andy, apologies - a slip of the drop down menu.
The reason for message being hidden has been amended.
Cheers
Peter
26 Aug 2011 by A J
Thankyou peter.
Ian
I think so, not sure what day yet though, How about your good self?
Andy.
Grow in grace...........
26 Aug 2011 by wicketdevil
Andy.
Not sure i have a new estates bursar starting on the 5th and im away on holiday for a fortnight on the friday so they may need me around here all week. Ian
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
26 Aug 2011 by A J
Ian
I do understand, Will struggle myself because of the dates. The big boys are back this year and wanted to go down.
Andy apologies for hijacking your thread. Not intended!
Andy.
Grow in grace...........
26 Aug 2011 by Chris Thornton
`Hi Andy,
Having read and commented on that rubbish from Munro my thoughts turned to you and I intended to give you a ring to see how you were but here you are alive and well and with gainful employment!
Good luck for the future, All the best, Chris
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
7 Sep 2011 by andy dixon
The short story is I am starting my own business in spring. Funding is already arranged and approved.
Many thanks to Vic, Chris and Peter for your help in my career so far.
Intend to begin with general gardening with a leaning towards lawn-care until I get established then would like to go to 90% lawns.
It's a personal decision, mainly to do with my private life.
Will still be on here to say hi.
Strange to say, but I think being a cricket groundsman is a lifelong obsession, not just a job. Trouble is, I would prefer to look at others grounds in my spare time and do something else for money.
Good luck all.
Andy.
7 Sep 2011 by Vic Demain
Andy, good luck in whatever you do, may it be a lot better for you than your last experience.
7 Sep 2011 by wicketdevil
Andy, i wont be at saltex this year too much to do before my holiday on sat. Ian
Can you just is the longest sentence in the world !!!!!!!
7 Sep 2011 by Chris Thornton
Good luck Andy. My experience with gardening was/is that it can be a very good job but you would have to be more dedicated than I was. There are lots and lots of people out there who ,for many reasons, don't want to do gardening and are willing to pay someone else to do the work. I felt that I could have built up a very sizable client base within one summer, had I wanted to.
My trouble was that I have never been able to price a job properly and always undercharged. That didn't matter as I have had a pension since I was 50 and cricket groundsmanship was my passion any way.
Good machinery, a decent van, hard work, proper pricing will lead to a good reputation and more work.
I have been told by our committee that they want me to go at the end of Sept so now I don't feel like doing anything and will just repair the pitch ends and fettle the machinery and go. The club is now broke, I am told, so they need to save money. You will not have that sort of thing to worry you.
I don't care as I am in me 66th year. Good luck, Chris
"He not busy being born is busy dying"
8 Sep 2011 by andy dixon
Thanks Guys. Chris, I have a couple of mates have their own businesses and you pretty much just echoed exactly what they said!
I was stunned when I went for finance and they told me I would need more. They repeated exactly what you said, 'Don't cut corners', with emphasis on the van and machinery with the only other comment being 'get an accountant'
Let's just say I got more than I was hoping for.
Any suggestions on pricing if I estimate the jobs by the hour? That has been worrying me. Still, got all winter to worry about that!
Enjoy your retirement Chris, but please stay on here and pass your knowledge on to the next generation.
9 Sep 2011 by vid Last edited 9 Sep 2011
Hi Andy, if you are hard nosed you will be ok. However if you are a bit soft (how most people start out, myself included) you will be persuaded to do a job for less than you wanted - this is always a big mistake. Make sure that everything is costed in, its all very well saying, for instance, that you want to make £25,000 per year and charging yourself out at £12.50, but with van, tax and machinery/equipment costs you will be lucky if you make any money at all. Personally when I am at a good distance away I charge at £125/day per man per day + £65 for travel food and accommodation + 25 - 30% business profit and I can tell you that doesnt end up with much profit if anything goes wrong or the job overruns and certainly doesnt make up for slow periods at the height of summer and the depths of winter. Naturally I charge for machinery and equipment on top. When I say this to some people they are horrified - but I couldnt do it for any less and am now seriously considering finding other lines of work within the industry to keep me going.
Set the price that you want to make from the job and dont budge, if they want you they will pay it. If they want cheapness over quality (your last employer a classic example) let someone else do it. Chasing around doing a good job for people for peanuts is very, very frustrating so trust your abilities and charge a proper amount.
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